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Opinion


CHOICES SHAPE YOUR FUTURE By Judith Ashton Last week I saw a brilliant production of “The Weir” in Thomastown Community Hall. It was a very intense claustrophobic play set in a rural pub. There were only 5 actors, and it revolved round local gossip and reminiscing. As the drink flowed the talk turns to talk …

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By John Fitzgerald (Part two) In March1921, six members of the Callan IRA Flying Column sought shelter at the Luttrell farmhouse: Paddy Ryan, Ned Aylward, Jimmy Leahy, Paddy Luttrell, Sean Quinn, and Jim McKenna. The Luttrell family welcomed them and they opted to spend the night in the unoccupied Garryricken House.  But someone had tipped off the …

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BY CLAIR WHITTY As many as 80% of people are tyring to lose weight and it is not always as easy to do as some people think. There are many reasons why we gain a few extra pounds that end up being difficult to shift. Low mood, hormone changes, perimenopause, pregnancy, sluggish metabolism and medication …

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BY JOHN ELLIS, FINANCIAL ADVISOR More than a third of Irish adults fail to grasp basic financial concepts. The figure jumps to nearly 70% among 18- to 24-year-olds, according to a recent nationwide survey commissioned by global insurance group NFP Ireland. When 1,000 adults were questioned on practical topics such as pensions, tax relief, insurance, …

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AS I SEE IT BY MARIANNE HERON From 1:am this Sunday it will be later than you think! Clocks will spring forward thanks to Daylight Saving, a change to take advantage of long hours of summer daylight which has been happening since 1908. Thankfully, the EU plan to do away with it was dropped during …

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THE FACT OF THE MATTER BY PAUL HOPKINS Last Friday marked International Day of the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, and in the same week comes a report that the Government is planning major new policies on migrants. Friday’s campaign was the Immigrant Council of Ireland’s national day of celebration of diversity and inclusion, dedicated to …

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BY JOHN ELLIS, FINANCIAL ADVISOR New research from Aviva Life & Pensions Ireland has thrown a spotlight on a stark reality facing many women as they approach retirement. There is a 31% gender pension gap. According to the study of working adults over 50, women are retiring with significantly less saved than men, a shortfall …

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CHOICES SHAPE YOUR FUTURE By Judith Ashton We love our mother, she’s yours as well. Her name is Gaia. She was born long ago in the Big Bang and is meant to live forever.  She’s the most beautiful being in our solar family. Earth, our mother, Gaia, is a stunning, remarkable beauty, flowing with bountiful …

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By John Fitzgerald (Part one) Garryricken House is located just inside the County Kilkenny border, a mile from Poulacapple and about four miles outside Callan. It stands in a tranquil wooded area, a haven of peace where people love to walk and enjoy picnics. Birds chirp, cattle graze contentedly, and rabbits play in the fields …

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FURTHERMORE By Gerry Moran Question: how many Nobel Prizes have been won by Irish people? I immediately said four – Yeats, Shaw, Beckett and Heaney, our four literary giants. I was wrong. Irish people have won no less than 11 Nobel Prizes, an achievement unsurpassed by any nation of equivalent size! Following is a brief …

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